First Sunday of Advent, December 3, 2023

We are called to discernment and watchfulness

Mark 13:33–37

Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.

It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.

May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.

What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

Music Meditations

• “In Every Age” (by Janèt Sullivan Whitaker) [YouTube]
• “Wait for the Lord” (Taizé) [YouTube]
• “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (sung by Enya) [YouTube]
• Dona Nobis Pacem by Mozart

Opening Prayer

“To Keep from Singing” by Ed Ingebretzen, S.J.:

To us who live in darkness
a great grace
passes through the night
like a star

the valleys and the mountains
are one land
the lion and the young lamb
are one heart
darkness and light
are one life:

Peace shall find a home in us;
He shall walk with us
the long day
the great climb

Let us reflect on and name what we are waiting for in this dark time, either for ourselves or someone else, what graces we are keeping watch for during this advent. After each petition, pray: “Come Spirit of Hope.”

Companions for the Journey

From “First Impressions” a service of the Southern Dominican Province 2020

Even if you are only live streaming Mass these Sundays have you noticed the changes today? Not just the cooler weather. Not the vestments from green to violet. It is the first Sunday of Advent and we have shifted to Mark for the Sunday gospel readings. Mark is the earliest of the four Gospels and the shortest.  It is only 16 chapters long, but it had a profound effect on the others. There is a great deal of emphasis in Mark on the suffering and death of Jesus and the call for disciples to follow him by taking up their cross. In the other Gospels Jesus promises blessings for those who give up houses and family for his sake. Only in Mark does Jesus indicate that with blessings there will also be persecutions (e.g. 10:30). Mark wrote his gospel around 70 A.D. and the consensus is that he wrote it for the church in Rome during Nero’s persecution. Like Mark’s first readers we find strength in God’s Word and the Eucharist to follow the way of our Master, denying self and taking up his cross of self-giving love.

During Advent and Lent the Scripture readings are more thematic. Today’s emphasize watching and waiting. Especially during these pandemic-threatened days, as we wait for a vaccine, we call out, “When are you coming to rescue us O Lord? Where are you? Why do you delay?”

Jesus directs us, “Be watchful! Be alert!” For what? He urges us not to get discouraged in the overwhelming details and questions raised by these days, but to be ready to welcome him. How can we do that? We are doing that already as we try to prayerfully be attentive to the Word, respond to what we hear and watch for his entrance into our lives as we wait for his final return?

Do the powers around us really have our best interests at heart? If these crisis days have taught us anything they have shown us the debilitating effects of political wrangling and selfish interests. Those powers seem demonic with intentions to rip apart the ties that should bind us to one another like: compassion, understanding, forgiveness and communal interests. Jesus urges us to keep awake lest we let those evil-intentioned powers break into our “house.” What can we do this Advent to be faithful servants who have the responsibility for the household Jesus has left in our care?

A big handicap to our spiritual growth is that we “doze off,” that is, we live almost unconsciously. We are preoccupied by our routine and habitual lives and don’t notice opportunities to grow in awareness of what is happening in our world and immediately around us. If the pandemic has any good side-effects, and who wants to admit anything good can come from this horror (!), it might have awakened us and made us more watchful for how and when the Lord is coming to us throughout the day—“whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cock crow, or in the morning.”

A while back I took a friar to the hospital emergency room. We checked in and were told to take a seat and wait for an available doctor. There was quite an assortment of sick and needy people waiting with us. Some of their needs were plainly visible, bleeding wounds, a smashed wrist, etc. Others had ailments that were not obvious, but there we all were in the emergency room waiting for a skilled doctor to come to help us.

I think Advent is a waiting room like that. Some of us need help for visible ailments, other needs lie below the surface, but affect others. Here we are waiting, not sure when help will come. But he did promise he would and that gives us hope. While we wait we’ll pray for ourselves and each other that we don’t give up and remain watchful and hopeful.

During Advent those able to gather in church will sing, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The prayer goes back to the late fifth, or early sixth century. It was a time of marauding Vandals, Huns and other barbarians who were pillaging, killing and also “vandalizing” the great libraries of Europe. It was a prayer for the millions forced into exile—the hymn names them—“lonely exiles.”  Today another pillaging pandemic has invaded every country, race and class of people. We yearn to return to our Advent warm and comfortable churches. But instead these days we are joined to our ancestors in faith pleading, like them, for deliverance. Vikings are not at our gates coming to wreak havoc. Instead, the virus has forced its way into the very inner sanctums of our homes evoking fear and a sense of impotence. What shall we do? We pray as our ancestors in faith prayed, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

I am sure at this time of the year we have heard more than one warning about commercialism and consumerism. Let’s presume most of the readers of these reflections are trying to avoid the secular pitfalls the season presents. Let’s also presume we are already looking for ways to preserve, even nourish, the spiritual aspects of the coming Christmas season. That is what Advent can do for us, be a time of reflection on our lives and show us changes we must make. The scripture readings through this season can help us along our path of self examination and readiness for the Lord’s coming.

We have also been told by medical experts to: be alert, wear masks, wash our hands, keep social distance, etc. Now Jesus is giving a similar kind of advice, “Be watchful! Be alert!” Many of us are very busy trying to keep our jobs, or find new ones; teach the kids at home; shop safely for food. For what else do we need to watch and be vigilant?

Advent can seem like the “same old, same old.” We’ve heard the stories and sung these hymns before. Maybe that is why the first gospel of this new season calls us to wake up. We will need help to do that. Today’s Psalm response can word our prayer for the beginning of Advent, “Lord make us turn to you: let us see your face and we shall be saved.”

Further reflection:

• The Gospel of Mark >>

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Stay awake!

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Someone said that when we get on the good train heading to hope, this is where we are more apt to see Jesus.
  How do we do this?
  How can I help dispel the darkness of fear, isolation, anger or self-pity the surrounds us all?
  How can I be a true sign of light and hope to others?
• At the moment, if the darkness is to be called back, I’ve got to do it. How can I be a small sign of light for someone?
• How does denial pay out in our spiritual lives?
• What is “active waiting”?
• What does God want to reshape in my life this Advent?
• What gifts has God given me to be shared in this time of watching and waiting?
• Walter Burghardt, S.J., once said “If you want to Live Advent, BE Advent.” How can we be a sign of hope to the hopeless this Advent season?
• From Jude Siciliano, O.P.:
  In what place in my life am I waiting for God to act?
  How do I feel during this time of waiting?
  What enables me to wait in patience?
• Has there ever been a time when you were wrestling with a spiritual question?
  Did others dismiss the question or offer facile answers?
  What eventually helped bring you peace or resolution?
• Life has a way of catching us off-guard. Have there ever been moments that have thrown you off-balance?
  How do we live our lives so that daily care and attentiveness can sustain us somewhat when life plays its tricks on us?
• Have I ever had someone or something that I was willing to wait for?
  How did I deal with my impatience?
  Was I willing to sit with the process or did I jump into a quick fix?
• Have I ever tried to get out of a bad place by doing something, anything, to get out of the discomfort of where I was emotionally or physically?
  How did that work out?
• Often, we think of waiting as a desert between where we are and where we want to be. Am I awaiting a time when all of my problems will be solved?
  What will solve them?
• Saint Augustine, who finally converted to Christianity, was said to have prayed: “God give me the virtue of chastity, but not yet…” Is there any behavioral change I have been putting off until “the time is right”?
• Is there something in my own life that I am unwilling to deal with?
  What is it, and what is the source of my unwillingness?
  What are my denial mechanisms?
  Are they helpful for me in the long term?
• The Greek word Parousia (the return of Christ in glory) is Adventus in Latin. Is Advent only about the Parousia?
  If not, then what IS it about?
• What are some real-life attention-getters that we sometimes do not recognize as a visitation of the Holy Spirit?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Examen:

The message of today seems to be that we must be alert to the presence of God in our lives, or we may miss it in the busyness and illusion that invades our consciousness and sometimes controls us. Some signs of God’s light might be so subtle that we miss them. Hence the advice to watch, to pay attention, and remember that we are not in charge, God is.
Pay attention! When did I notice God’s presence in the good times, the simple good things I experienced this week?
Pay attention! When did I notice God’s presence in the painful times this week?

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Adapted from When Christ Meets Christ by Walter Burghardt, S.J.

We need to remember Christ is here.
Christ is present in the Eucharist
Christ’s real presence is in the world, although it requires us to pay attention and notice His presence.
Christ is here in the love we have for Him, and our obeying His commandment to love one another.
Christ is alive in others, including the most annoying and the most needy as well as the most lovable.
Christ is alive in all creation, in the glory of the mountains and seas, the beauty of trees and plains, the exquisite animal kingdom.

So, how do I bring Christ to others?
So, how do I radiate the presence of Christ in me?
So, how to I care for and nurture the earth and all its creatures instead of destroying nature for economic gain?

I resolve to pay attention and notice God’s presence in the world around me this week, and pray for gentleness and courage to be Christ in the world.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Reading: Psalm 10: 13-14, 16-18

Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself: ”He won’t call me to account”?
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.
You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.

Reflection adapted from Wm. Bausch in Once upon a Gospel:

Yes, there are terrible things going on in the world. But faith people like health workers and faith agencies like Catholic worker House remind us that the hidden Lord is among us: unsung, unannounced, unreported by the media, but here. Be alert for him. Watch!

Finally, this truth is our challenge. Our deeds of charity, our acts of forgiveness, our compassion, our morally lived lives, like pinpoints of light in a morally dark world, must show a weary and anxious people that the Lord really has come and is here, and if there is any watching to be done to detect Him, it is to watch us.

If others watch us, if others watch me, what signs of the Lord’s presence in this world will they see?

This Advent, I invite you to make a special effort to notice those around you who are struggling, albeit silently, and to offer help where you can. I challenge you to donate something to a charity of your choice: in this area, we have Catholic Worker House, the Giving Tree, the Red Cross, St. Elizabeth Seton School, Catholic Relief services, and the guy begging on the corner near the shopping center, (just for starters…)

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style:

I read Psalm 62. What am I worried about, or what do I feel threatened by at this moment? How real are my worries? When have I relied on God for comfort? When Have I relied instead on myself, on others, on wealth, on talent or on social position for comfort? I write my own version of Psalm 62.
—Anne Greenfield: Songs of Life, Psalm Meditations from the Catholic Community at Stanford

Poetic Reflection:

This is how one woman stays aware and stays awake until whatever comes her way. A novel way of “waiting” by “not waiting”:

“Advent at Midlife”

I am no longer waiting for
A special occasion;
I burn the best candles ordinary
days.

I am no longer waiting for
The house to be clean;
I fill it with people who understand that
Even dust is sacred.

I am no longer waiting for
Everyone to understand me;
it’s just not their task.

I am no longer waiting for
The perfect children;
My children have their own names
That burn as brightly as any star.

I am no longer waiting for
The other shoe to drop;
It already did, and I survived.

I am no longer waiting for
The time to be right;
The time is always now.

I am no longer waiting for
The mate who will complete me;
I am grateful to be so
Warmly, tenderly held.

I am no longer waiting for
A quiet moment;
My heart can be stilled whenever it is
called.

I am no longer waiting for
The world to be at peace;
I unclench my grasp and
Breathe peace in and out.

I am no longer waiting to
Do something great;
Being awake to carry my
Grain of sand is enough.

I am no longer waiting to be recognized;
I know that I dance in a holy circle.

I am no longer waiting for
Forgiveness.
I believe, I believe.

—by Mary Anne Perrone (National Catholic Reporter, 12/15/06)

Poetic Reflection:

This excerpt from the Fifties Beat Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a lighthearted introduction to the central issue of Advent: Advent is a time of waiting. But what are we waiting for, and how are we waiting?

“I Am Waiting”

I am waiting for my case to come up
and I am waiting for a rebirth of wonder
and I am waiting for someone to really discover America
and wail
and I am waiting for the American Eagle
to really spread its wings and straighten up and fly right
and I am waiting for the Age of Anxiety to drop dead
and I am waiting for the war to be fought
which will make the world safe for anarchy
I am waiting for the Second Coming
and I am waiting for a religious revival to sweep thru the state of Arizona
and I am waiting for the Grapes of Wrath to be stored
and I am waiting for them to prove that God is really American
and I am seriously waiting for Billy Graham and Elvis Presley
to exchange roles seriously
and I am waiting to see God on television piped onto church altars
if only they can find the right channel to tune in on
and I am waiting for the Last Supper to be served again
with a strange new appetizer
and I am perpetually awaiting a rebirth of wonder

and I am waiting for the meek to be blessed
and inherit the earth without taxes
and I am waiting for forests and animals
to reclaim the earth as theirs
and I am anxiously waiting for the secret of eternal life to be discovered
by an obscure general practitioner and save me forever from certain death
and I am waiting for life to begin
and I am waiting for the storms of life to be over
and I am perpetually awaiting
a rebirth of wonder

Closing Prayer

From Isaiah and Psalm 80:

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;
We are the clay and you the potter;
We are all the work of your hands.
Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we will be saved.
Amen.

The Gospel of Mark

Analysis from A History of the New Testament by Father Raymond Brown, S.S. and Invitation to Mark, by Paul J Achtemeier

DATE: 65-70 CE

AUTHOR BY TRADITIOAL 20TH CENTURY ATTRIBUTION:
Mark, the follower and “interpreter” of Peter, usually identified as the John Mark of acts, whose mother had a house in Jerusalem. He accompanied Barabas and Paul on the “First Missionary Journey” and may have helped Peter and Paul in Rome in the 60’s. Some who reject this attribution allow that the author may have been an otherwise unknown Christian named Mark

AUTHOR DETECTABLE FROM CONTENT:
A Greek speaker, who was not an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry and made inexact statements about Palestinian geography. He drew on pre-shaped traditions about Jesus (oral and probably written as well) and addressed himself to a community that seemingly had undergone persecution and failure.

LOCALITY INVOLVED:
Traditionally Rome (where Christians were persecuted by Nero). Other suggestions: Syria, the north Transjordan, the Decapolis and Galilee.

UNITY:
No reason to believe there was more than one author,

INTEGRITY:
Mark invented the art form of the Gospel . No small feat. About 97% of Mark is found in Matthew and Luke, although they reorder the materials and sometimes use it in different way, to suit their individual purposes.

STYLE:
There are no infancy narratives; the gospel jumps right into the beginning of Jesus’ adult ministry. It is a gospel that centers on the passion and death of Jesus. Jesus is portrayed as a man in a hurry; the gospel is very episodic as Jess heals, cures and teaches. It probably ended with MK 16:8. Which is the death of Jesus. The longer version (16:9-20) was likely added, even by another, as an epilogue.

A key part of Mark is chapter 13, which is known as the “Little Apocalypse”. (Two other bible “apocalypses” are the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation.) It is part of his farewell discourse before the passion. It is also a message to the Markan community who find themselves at odds with the authorities and sometimes with each other. This chapter is both comfort and warning…

Outline:
1:1-8:6 Ministry of Healing and Preaching to Galilee
8:27-16:8 Suffering predicted, travel to Jerusalem, Death in Jerusalem
16:9-10 (epilogue) Resurrection

According to those who know such things, the Greek is not as polished as that of Luke, for example. Mark is sloppy about some details and about geography. We see a great deal of criticism of the Apostles, especially Peter. It is a gospel that constantly reinforces the belief that there is no crown with a cross…

Solemnity of Christ the King, November 26, 2023

It is not enough to stay out of sin and to pray; we must also DO

Matthew 25:31–46

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Music Meditations

• “Whatsoever You Do” (sung by Robert Kochis) [YouTube]
• “The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor” (sung by John Michael Talbot) [YouTube]
• “The Summons” (Jereme Asunto)
• “Open My Eyes, Lord” (by Jesse Manibusan) [YouTube]

Opening Prayer

Lord, what we are asked to do seems so simple—give food and drink to You in those who are hungry and thirsty; to clothe You in those who have little or nothing; to visit You in those who are sick or in jail. Why, Lord, is it that we do not see your face in those around us who have less that we do? In a culture of “never enough” we hoard our goods to ourselves and our own, shutting out your very presence in our lives. Help us to me more attentive and less lazy, less selfish.

Companions for the Journey

From a homily delivered at Memorial Church:

If you know anything at all about Jesus’ life, you know that he was, in reality, in an historical sense, king of nothing. The Kingdom Jesus speaks of in the Gospels of is Jesus’ vision—his dream of, and a metaphor for, what the world ought to be like. Before we look at the gospel, let’s extend the metaphor and look and some “kingdoms” right under our very noses.

First, there is the kingdom of Silicon Valley—the land of the dot-com bazillionaires. A world:

• Where there are houses purchased for many millions of dollars and then torn down to make room for houses worth many more millions of dollars
• Where bedrooms for the new baby can cost $50,000 to decorate.
• Where a child is considered educationally disadvantaged for not having a computer at home.
• Where preschool can cost $27,000 a year for a half day, and private high school upwards of $43,000 a year.
• Where we are offended by shopping carts piled high with a person’s belongings.
• Where we are annoyed or outraged by beggars holding up signs as we leave Draegers.

Then there is the kingdom of all of Santa Clara Valley. A world:

• Where, recently, Second Harvest food bank distributed food to 500,000 people monthly, 73% of whom were also on food assistance.
• Where schools have been a primary source of breakfast and lunch meals for the 1 in 3 children who experience food insecurity.
• Where the homeless population has reached close to 10,000 people, only 18% of which are sheltered. Of the others, 34% are on the streets or in encampments, 18% are living in their vehicles, 13% are living in structures not meant for human habitation.
• Where there live many “invisible poor” whom we never see, many of whom have been rendered jobless, homeless and hungry by Covid-19 and its economic effects.

And now we come to Jesus’ vision, the Kingdom of God. A world:

• Where no five-year old goes to kindergarten weak with hunger,
• Where no homeless person shivers in the cold lying on a pallet under a bush in downtown Palo Alto.
• Where no baby is born facing family disruption, addiction, or death at an early age.
• Where no 80-year old has to choose between medicine and heat.

And we do try. There are a lot of agencies and individuals who are making a difference. This is the time of the year when we work to find ways to share our good fortune, and there are many. While busy with all these activities, while donating to worthy causes, how many of us carry negative opinions about the poor—that poor people do not work hard enough or somehow are fully responsible for their situations? In today’s gospel, Jesus is telling us to put a name and a face to all those statistics, and in the words of Mother Teresa, to love humanity one person at a time.

We need to get inside the skin of those who are hungry, or poor, and see, if we can, the eyes of Christ in their eyes.

We have to become large enough to accommodate all the small lives that otherwise would be forgotten. We have to raise ourselves to the power of ten. Love more, require less
—paraphrased from “At Big Rec” by Thomas Centolella, from Lights and Mysteries

We need to give our time and our talent and our treasure—not out of obligation, grudgingly, but out of love, openly and generously.

Ideally we recognize the poor as Christ—in reality, I’d like to hope that we at least recognize them as fellow travelers—sisters and brothers who have lives, needs, hopes, pain, just like the rest of us. I’d like to leave you with a poem that, for me, captures the message of today's gospel better than my own poor words ever could. It goes like this:

My name is not “Those People.”
I am a loving woman,
a mother in pain, giving birth to the future,
where my babies have the same chance to thrive as anyone.

My name is not “Inadequate.”
I did not make my husband leave—he chose to,
and chooses not to pay child support.
Truth is though, there isn’t a job base for all
fathers to support their families.
While society turns its head, my children pay the price.

My name is not “Lazy, Dependent Welfare Mother.”
If the unwaged work of parenting, homemaking and community building
was factored into the Gross National Product, my work would have untold value.
And I wonder why my middle-class sisters
whose husbands support them to raise their children
are glorified—and they don’t get called lazy and dependent.

My name is not “Ignorant, Dumb or Uneducated.”
I live with an income of $621 with $169 in food stamps.
Rent is $585. that leaves $36 a month to live on.
I am such a genius at surviving that I could balance the state budget in an hour.

My name is not “Lay Down and Die Quietly.”
My love is powerful and my urge to keep my children alive will never stop.
All children need homes and people who love them.
They need safety and the chance to be the people they were born to be.

The wind will stop before I let my children become a statistic.
Before you give in to the urge to blame me,
the blame that lets us go blind and unknowing into
the isolation that disconnects us,
take another look.
Don’t go away.
For I am not the problem, but the solution.
And my name is not “Those People.”

—Julia Dinsmore

My friends, take another look.

You just might be looking into the face of Christ.

Further reflection:

• Commentary on Matthew 25:31–46 from “Living Space” >>

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Do I have any idea when my time of waiting will be up and Jesus will ask me to account for my time on earth?
  What will I say?
• Have you ever had a time in your life when you experienced being left out of life’s mainstream activities, left behind or left out emotionally or financially?
  How did you feel?
• What do I hope I will be judged on at the end of my life?
  What does Matthew say will be the criterion for final judgement of each individual?
• Someone said that at the last judgement, each one will go to the group he or she has chosen in this life. Do you agree?
  What group would you be in?
• By James Forbes as quoted by Ronald Rolheiser, OFM:
  “Nobody gets into heaven without a letter of recommendation from the poor.”
  How does this agree or disagree with this week’s readings?
  Where does that leave me?
• By Jude Siciliano, O.P.:
  How much do thoughts of the final judgement figure into my day-to-day thoughts and actions?
  On the basis of my life here and now, how might I fare at the Last Judgment?
  Do I sometimes find it hard to see Jesus in the distressful disguise of the poor?
  Do I wait for someone to ask me for help or am I sensitive to their needs even before they ask?
• If at the end of life, you were not asked how you avoided sin, but instead were asked how you loved others, how you have cared for the others, especially the poor, the needy, the lonely and marginalized, how will you answer?
  Where does neglect fit in?
• Sometimes, in reading this passage, or the beatitudes, we tend to romanticize the poor, and to see Jesus as existing only in the poor and marginalized.
  Can a poor person be as difficult to love as a non-poor person?
  Is this passage about putting down the affluent, or something else?
• Paul, on the way to Damascus, was informed that by persecuting the Christians, he was persecuting Jesus. Do I see the face of Jesus in the faces of those the world ignores?
  Where are the hungry, the naked, the homeless who would call on me if they could reach me?
  Have I organized my life so that I am isolated from such people?
• A preacher recently preached a sermon that said: “When you want to heal the sick, then you had better be where the sick are.”
  How does that apply to my life and those in need?
• Do I sometimes find it hard to see Jesus’ face in the poor and needy?
  Do I think of the global poor as part of my mission?
• Are Christians defined mostly by their belief systems and their liturgies, their devotion to right living, their private spiritual practices, or are they also defined by action on behalf of the poor?
  What does this say about how often we should be engaged in these activities?
  What if we fail?
  What kind of Christian are you, the praying kind, the acting kind, or both?
• “When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist.”
  —Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Recife, Brazil, and one of the great prophets of Christian “Liberation theology”)
  What is the difference between personal charity and social justice?
  Where does your political party stand on the issues of poverty, equality of access to education, housing and jobs, immigration, the stranger in our midst, those in prison, the death penalty, etc.?
  How actively have you been involved in the larger issues of social justice?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

I read Psalm 72, then I reflect on the way power is revered in our society, and, in the main, how that power is used. What are the dangers of power? This psalm is frequently used as a description of the way an ideal ruler must use power. I think of our history and all of the ways in which power has been abused. Has this been the story in our own church? In what way am I myself tempted by my desire for power and control? What steps can I take to combat this natural tendency?

Why do we call Jesus “Christ the King”? What kind of power did Jesus possess? If he was the “King of Nobodies”, how does he become a role model for me? Do some of my priorities have to change? Where do I start? I pray to Christ for the courage to follow the path of Jesus.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

In John’s Gospel, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. In a culture that went barefoot and didn’t have spas and pedicures, this was a fairly unsavory task. In my mind’s eye, I see Jesus, the King, washing my feet, aware of all my flaws and imperfections. I look at his face and see the love and tenderness there. In my heart, I speak my response to this incredible gesture. In addition, I see this story as a clear message that those who are to lead are to be the servants of those who follow. I speak to Jesus about the difficulties such a message imposes.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Submitted by Anne and Bill Werdel, from the parish bulletin of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Raleigh, N. C., 2008:

The Gospel is not only about our own individual goodness or charity. It is about our responsibility to help change social structures and national policies to make them more compassionate. We must ask the Gospel questions and struggle to change the answers.

Does our nation feed the hungry? Or do we cut support programs in order to fund an ever increasing military budget?

Does our nation welcome strangers? Or are our immigration limits and laws making it more and more difficult for those seeking a better life to find one here in our country?

Does our nation clothe the naked? Or do we support the sweatshops, which make the lives of the poor a misery while making cheap clothing more available for those who already have an abundance?

Does our nation care for the sick? Or are health care plans and medical care available only to those who can afford it?

Does our nation visit Christ in prison? Or as the nation with the highest percentage of its population behind bars do we ask why these brothers and sisters of Jesus come mostly from minority groups and situations of extreme poverty?

What can I do?

1. Read the Gospel from the perspective of the poor.
2. Be informed.
3. Pray that “God’s kingdom come” for all God’s children.
4. Get involved in advocating for “The Kingdom of God”.

Poetic Reflection:

This poem, written by Thomas à Kempis in the fifteenth century, shows us the difference between our notions of power and the power God favors:

Oh, love, how deep, how broad, how high,
Beyond all thought and fantasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortal's sake!

He sent no angel to our race,
Of higher or of lower place,
But wore the robe of human frame,
And to this world himself he came.

For us baptized, for us he bore
His holy fast and hungered sore;
For us temptation sharp he knew;
For us the tempter overthrew.

For us he prayed; for us he taught,
For us his daily works he wrought,
By words and signs and actions thus
Still seeking not himself, but us.

For us by wickedness betrayed,
For us, in crown of thorns arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death;
For us he gave his dying breath.

For us he rose from death again;
For us he went on high to reign;
For us he sent his Spirit here
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.

All glory to our Lord and God
For love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore
Forever and forevermore.

Closing Prayer

Let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for all those who need our compassion and care, for all those who commit themselves to the poorest and for those who are afraid to be involved. Let us say:
Lord, make us serve you in people.

For all who have lost their way in life we cry out to you to make the Church welcome them and give them you and your Good News to live for, we pray:
Lord, make us serve you in people.

With all people driven from their homes, with the many victims of war and civil strife, with all strangers living in foreign lands, we cry out that people may be hospitable to them, and so we pray:
Lord, make us serve you in people.

With all those who hunger for food, who thirst for justice, who crave for human dignity, we cry out that we may hear your voice in them, and so we pray:
Lord, make us serve you in people.

With all those who care for the sick and the handicapped, with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, midwives, we cry out that we may recognize you in those who need affectionate, loving care, and so we pray:
Lord, make us serve you in people.

With all those who are imprisoned because of their convictions, with all those who are persecuted; who are prisoners of their hatred, their greed or their failings, we ask you to free them, and so we pray:
Lord, make us serve you in people.

The voices that cry out to us, the eyes that plead with us, may we recognize you in them, Lord, and love you in them. Be near to all of us, now and forever.
Amen.

—adapted from Liturgies Alive, Models of Celebration

Commentary on Matthew 25:31–46 from “Living Space”

From “Living Space”—a service of the Irish Jesuits

Both of today’s readings deal with the way we ought to behave towards each other. The First Reading tells us the kinds of things we ought not to do while the Gospel emphasises more what we should be doing.

The Gospel is the great scene of the Last Judgment when all will face their Lord Jesus. We will be divided into sheep and goats – those who are with Jesus and those who are not. The criteria on which we will be judged are interesting. Nothing about the Ten Commandments (normally the matter of our confessions). Nothing about the things mentioned in the First Reading, which more or less reflect the contents of the Ten Commandments. There is nothing about what we normally call ‘religious obligations’ (e.g. being ‘at Mass’ on Sundays and holydays).

The test will be very simple. Did we love all our brothers and sisters or not? There is some discussion as to the identity of these ‘brothers and sisters’. Does it refer to all who are hungry, thirsty, in need of clothes, in need of medical care or in jail or to a particular group? The passage may primarily be thinking of Christians, and especially Christian missionaries whose preaching brought them suffering and persecution. These were more likely, too, to end up in prison. To reject and abuse these people and their message is tantamount to rejecting Jesus himself.

However, we have traditionally extended the passage to include all who suffer in any way because of our neglect and we recognise Jesus as being present in these people in a special way.

And the things we are supposed to do are so simple: give food to Jesus hungry and drink to Jesus thirsty; to clothe Jesus naked; to visit Jesus sick and Jesus in jail. And naturally people will ask: “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or naked or sick or in prison?” And the Judge will answer: “In so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it to me.” Whether we realise it or not, every time we spontaneously take care of a brother or sister in need it is Jesus himself we are serving.

Notice: You did it TO me, not FOR me. Jesus identifies himself especially with the person in need. Every time we neglect to help a brother or sister in need, we neglect Jesus himself. Our worst sins, our most dangerous sins will be our sins of omission. We can keep the 10 Commandments perfectly and still fail here. The next time we examine our conscience let us think about that.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 19, 2023

What are you willing to risk for God?

Matthew 25:14–30

[The Parable of the Talents]

“It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

“Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’

“[Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’

“Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’

“His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’”

Music Meditations

• “The Ground” (“Pleni sunt caeli”) (composed by Ola Gjeilo)
• “The Summons” (John L. Bell) [YouTube]
• “Eye Has Not Seen” (composed by Marty Haugen) [YouTube]

Opening Prayer

Teach me to go to this country beyond words and beyond names.
Teach me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are.
I need to be led by you.
I need my heart to be moved by you.
I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you.
I need the world to be saved and changed by you.
I need you for all those who suffer, who are in prison, in danger, in sorrow.
I need you for all the crazy people.
I need your healing hand to work always in my life.
I need you to make me, as you made your Son, a healer, a comforter, a savior.
I need you to name the dead.
I need you to help the dying cross their particular rivers.
I need you for myself whether I live or die.
It is necessary.
Amen.

We ask you, God, to give us the courage to go beyond our normal boundaries and be more open to your plans for us and those around us.

Companions for the Journey

From “First Impressions” 2023, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

Today’s parable is of a rich man going on a long journey who entrusts his servants with money, according to each one’s ability. They are not to be idle while the master is gone. The money left them was an enormous amount. The “talent” was a coin of the highest denomination: think millions of dollars. The master did not leave instructions to the servants. He presumes they will know what they are to do with the money he has left them.

The banking system in Jerusalem offered excellent rates of interest to merchants who entrusted their money it. The Romans had made trade routes safe from pirates and thieves, so trade was profitable. The third servant, afraid and cautious, didn’t have to bury what was given to him. The banks would have been a safe place to put the money, so the master had reason to be upset. The servant should have put the money in the bank where, at least, it would have earned interest. He was harsh on the third servant and takes away any trust he initially had in him.

Jesus told this parable to his disciples and may have used it to condemn those Jewish religious authorities who were like the third servant. They may have kept the tradition that was entrusted to them pure and secure. But, when Jesus came, they were not open to the new situation and circumstances he presented. They refused to hear his message and take it to heart. Were they afraid to take a chance on him?

Jesus is continuing the theme of preparedness he began in last Sunday’s gospel (Mt 25:1-13). Remember the delay of the bridegroom: the virgins were waiting for the one who would bring all things to conclusion. This week’s parable focuses on how disciples use their time waiting for the one who has promised to return. Notice the trust the master has in his servants. He gave each of them a significant amount and left it up to them to know what to do with it.

The man returns and the behavior of the third servant underlines the importance of preparedness and initiative. He tries to justify his failure to earn a profit by saying he was intimidated by the master’s demanding reputation. The servant is called “wicked and lazy” and his master takes the one talent he has away from him. Despite his safe and fearful behavior the servant winds up with nothing. We may be waiting for the Lord’s return, but we are not to be passive, or inactive, because we fear engagement with the world. Playing it safe does not get rewarded in our parable.

Matthew was writing for a church in the 80’s. They were learning the lesson of the parable: how to wait wisely for the Lord. The religious authorities were supposed to be guides for the people, but they had buried the truth to keep it “pure”; not open to the new ideas Jesus was preaching. In effect, they were destroying the treasure God had entrusted to them. The parable is an attempt to wake the disciples to the urgency of the moment Jesus was placing before them. Note that the parable has been called a “crisis parable.”

It also speaks to us: “Wake up and see the opportunity God is presenting to you this day.” Responding to what Jesus asks of us may take risk. Like speaking up when a person, or people, are abused; resisting the allure of money and its false promises; staying the course, even when we are tempted to give up on our church; not giving into compromise at work, or school; staying by the side of a needy family member, etc..

The Lord has left us with the promise of his return. Meanwhile, he has given us gifts, or “charisms”, to use for the benefit of the community. Using these gifts can be risky; we may face persecution, isolation, even death, or just chilled rejection. We cannot “play it safe” like the third servant, fearing negative possibilities, letting those gifts be unused, or underused.

Haven’t we known people who are like the first, or second servant? They seem to have a focus and energy that has helped them respond to God’s grace by using their talents wisely and for the benefit of others. I know of a lawyer who gave up her profitable career to be a legal advocate for the poor. She seems tireless, hardly resting, but joyful. She has discovered a treasure that she wants to use for the benefit of others. She is also like the “ideal wife” in today’s Proverbs reading, using her time in a responsible and altruistic way to serve others.

How did things between God and us begin? They began at creation and continue with God generously bestowing gifts upon us to be used serving God throughout history. We are partners with God for the good both now and into the future.

The servants were trusted to use their own ingenuity and energy, one might even say boldness in their use of the funds. Being faithful is not a fixed state of life. The parable urges energy and risk. Perhaps we know what we should do, what changes we need to make, but are not doing it, not risking leaving a comfortable napping place to face what is asked of us these days.

At this Eucharist we hesitant disciples pray for wisdom, direction and boldness to be disciples living this parable — a “parabolic people.” Think of the generosity our God revealed from the beginning of the Scriptures. We can trust that God will extend a hand towards us to give what we need to live this parable as good and faithful stewards.

Further reflection:

• Parables in the Gospels >>
• Commentary on Matthew 25:14–30 >>

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Well done, my good and faithful servant

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• List some gifts or “talents” you have. Do you consider them to have been given or to have been lent?
  What is the difference?
  Do you use your talents for your own aggrandizement and success, or do you put them at the disposal of those who need help in some way?
• If you were told to lay your biggest accomplishment thus far before God, what would it be?
  What does this tell you about yourself?
• This parable might not be about some specific talents we might use for God. It might be about committing all that we have. Is there anything I am holding back out of fear, greed, selfishness?
  Are there people in our community who are giving way more than is expected of them?
• What is God’s “property” that has been entrusted to me—the natural world itself, my loved ones, the poor and downtrodden, my career, for example?
  Are the talents I have been loaned by God for this life His property or mine?
• Why do you think the master rewards the man with two talents the same as the man with five talents?
• What does it mean to “reap what you do not sow” and “gather where you did not scatter seed”?”
  The master is also willing to earn money at the expense of others… does this sound like God to you?
  In your mind is Jesus more like the exacting master or more like a shepherd?
• What was the final servant’s motive for being so cautious?
  Did he see his job as basically to do the master’s bidding, or something else?
• In what ways am I too tentative or too cautious in working for the kingdom?
  In what ways do I bury my “talent” so that it doesn’t get in the way of my real life?
  Am I risk-averse?
• Have I been so preoccupied with my own life (family, fears, health, relationships, money, etc) that I lost track of my mission on this earth?
• We think of talents as natural gifts, but in this time and in this parable, it means something of value. Could one’s reputation be a “talent”?
• We speak of gifts of the Spirit (Charisms). How might these be talents?
• Do I see the word “talents” as opportunities God has given me?
  For what purpose?
  Have I seen any opportunities that have come my way to enhance the Kingdom?
• Are these opportunities always recognized, or always welcomed?
  Can bad luck be an opportunity?
  Do I control my opportunities or does God?
• Do I sense any urgency in the choices I make?
• Do the talents I possess make me careless or arrogant?
  What “talents” have I been given to use for the good of God’s kingdom?
  What, in fact IS my true vocation?
• If the word “talent” were a metaphor for the servant’s true vocation and he buried it so no one could see it, how might that relate to my own life?
• We are either trading with our talents or burying them in the ground. What do I chose?
• Have I ever kept some of what I have been entrusted with as something for my own gain, my own use?
• What, exactly, is the “joy” we are promised? (Satisfaction, good luck, success, feeling of a mission accomplished, etc.)
• By Jude Siciliano, O.P.:
  Do I treat my faith as something fragile, keeping it close and protected as if it will break if brought out into the open?
  In my daily life, how venturesome before others am I with my faith?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Read Psalm 112:

1Alleluia!
Blessed the man who fears the Lord, who takes great delight in his commandments.
2His descendants shall be powerful on earth; the generation of the upright will be blest.
3Riches and wealth are in his house; his justice stands firm forever.
4A light rises in the darkness for the upright; he is generous, merciful, and just.
5It goes well for the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.
6He will never be moved; forever shall the just be remembered.
7He has no fear of evil news; with a firm heart, he trusts in the Lord.
8With a steadfast heart he will not fear; he will see the downfall of his foes.
9Openhanded, he gives to the poor; his justice stands firm forever. His might shall be exalted in glory.
10The wicked sees and is angry, grinds his teeth and fades away; the desire of the wicked leads to doom.

Compare the behavior that is the outcome of fear of the Lord in this psalm with the behavior of the last servant in the parable of the talents. Here are two different meanings of the word “fear”. In many ways, these differing attitudes are the result of how I think of God: Am I visioning a God who asks me to risk wildly for the sake of the kingdom, or am I visioning a God who is primarily the judge who tallies up my sins? My answer also depends on my culture, my personality, and my worldview: If I see the world as a treacherous place luring me into sin, and if I would prefer not to risk making mistakes, I have one view. On the other hand, if I see the world as full of opportunities to grow personally and opportunities to make a difference, if I think it is a failure never to risk failure by stretching myself, then I have another view.

When you think of your relationship with God, which of these meanings fits your own personal behavior? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

I imagine that I am on the three-person finance team of a very wealthy investor. He is about to leave the country, sailing around the world on a sabbatical. He is a tough and exacting boss, and it is surprising that he says he does not want to be disturbed on this sabbatical for anything but the most dire emergency. Depending on our seniority, he gives us each a portion of his portfolio to manage while he is away. I am the most junior, so I get the least. Less responsibility for me, I think. The three of us are more often rivals than colleagues, so it is no wonder that we do not consult with one another about our investing choices. I really am afraid of losing my job, and want to be sure I do not lose any of my boss’s money, so I simply leave it in a savings account. In that way the FDIC will cover any losses that the bank incurs up to $250,000. The interest is almost nothing, but the risk is non-existent—especially since my boss only gave me about $250,000 to work with. While the boss is gone, the market has endured ups and downs, and I wonder what the others have done. I eventually learn that one of the team put the share he was entrusted with into an investment portfolio with medium risk, and the other put his into a real estate investment. When the master returns, I realize how much more the other investments made compared to mine, but expect to be thanked for not risking my boss’s money. Well, as you might guess, I was fired for my timidity and I still wonder why. What would have happened if the others lost their boss’s money?

In this story I can see myself on one of the three members of the finance team, except that the “portfolio” I have been given are my talents, my education, my situation in life, my place in the community and the Church. Am I a risk-taker; do I sometimes act without thinking of negative consequences? Or am I so risk-averse that I coast along, expecting the minimum out of life and not making any waves, even if I am confronted with evil? Do I look over my shoulder, worried that others are catching up to me in the race for spiritual perfection? Am I proactive or reactive? What, exactly, are the motives behind the choices I make in my family, at work or in the larger culture I inhabit? I look at what risks I am willing to take for the sake of my own soul, but especially for the good of the Kingdom here on earth. What have I risked for those I love? What have I gained or lost? What have I risked for God?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

This parable is more than an exhortation to use well our qualities. It is about the kingdom, which has been entrusted to the disciples and thence to us, as Jesus embarked on his journey away from earthly life. When Jesus returns, he will expect his servants to have put to work the riches he has entrusted to us. How has the Catholic Church done in this regard? What events or people, especially, have mirrored the mission of growing the Kingdom? What events or people have not? In our own individual lives, we have inherited this command from Jesus. How do I interpret this commission Jesus left me with? What actions are required of me in this world here and now? When my master comes for me, how will I answer?

Poetic Reflection:

How does this poem by Thomas Centollela, a former Stanford Stegner Fellow, capture the urgency of this parable’s message?

“Big Rec”

A few hours spent in the dry rooms of the dying
Then the walk home, the sudden rain
Comes hard, and you want it coming hard,
You want it hitting you in the forehead
Like anointment, blessing all the days
That otherwise would be dismissed
As business as usual. Now you’re ready
To lean upon the rail above the empty diamonds
Where, in the summer, the ballplayers wait patiently
For one true moment more alive than all the rest.
Now you’re ready for the ancient religion of dogs,
That unleashed romp through the wildness, responding
To no one’s liturgy but the field’s and the rain’s.
You’ve come this far, but you need to live further in.
You need to slip into the blind man awhile,
Tap along with his cane past the market stalls
And take in, as if they were abandoned,
The little blue crabs which in an hour will be eaten.
You have to become large enough to accommodate
All the small lives that otherwise would be forgotten.
You have to raise yourself to the power of ten.
Love more, require less, love without regard
For form. You have to live further in.

–Thomas Centollela, from Lights and Mysteries

Closing Prayer

From Ray Stedman, a well-known 20th century Christian preacher:

Lord Jesus, have I ventured anything for you? Have I risked my life for your sake? Or have I but transferred my ambition from the world of business or sport to the world of religion, still busy seeking self-aggrandizement, self-exaltation? Lord, teach me to risk, to abandon, to cast away what would minister only to myself and mine. For your name’s sake. Amen.